Burke's Garden Rural Historic District
Also known as: 44tz6; 44tz61-44tz87; 44tz89-44tx91; See Also:Burke's Garden Ce
Why it's listed
Burke's Garden is a bowl-shaped valley in southeastern Tazewell County, Virginia, about nine miles long and four and a half miles wide, fully encircled by Garden Mountain. Settlers arrived in the mid-18th century, and the basin still shows its early pattern of pasture, cropland, clustered farm buildings and winding roads, with one main route, the Central Road, running through a gap in the north. The district counts 249 contributing resources, including farmhouses, barns, springhouses, a late 19th-century store, an 1876 church with a cemetery of rare German sandstone gravestones, and a 1930s brick gymnasium. Houses range from an early stone Federal dwelling of about 1812 to Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Foursquare examples. Thirty-five archaeological sites include the Hoge site, the highest known prehistoric village site in Virginia. Modern houses and farm structures intrude in places, but the rolling terrain screens many of them.
Significance in brief: The valley has kept its natural landscape, farming land uses, clustered farm buildings and road patterns largely unchanged since early settlement. It has 249 contributing resources, including 71 buildings, 178 structures and two 19th-century cemeteries, mostly in a local building tradition from the early 19th to early 20th century. Thirty-five archaeological sites show nearly continuous occupation from the Early Archaic Period.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86000306, listed February 25, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Valley encircled by Garden Mountain, Tazewell |
|---|---|
| County | Tazewell County |
| Listed | February 25, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86000306 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Local building tradition with Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and American Foursquare examples |
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric, Agriculture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most of the valley remains in pasture and cultivation; about 54 noncontributing buildings and 46 noncontributing structures, mostly modern, are present. The ca. 1812 Peter Gose stone house is noted as vacant and in need of attention. |
| Acreage | 20000 |
| Coordinates | 37.10583, -81.33400 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86000306.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.